AMMAN: Publishers and writers on Wednesday urged the government to rescind its decision to impose a 10 per cent sales tax on books and publications, which they said would have serious consequences on the sector amidst “modest” numbers of readers in the country.
Around 90 per cent of the country’s 71 publishers suspended their imports of books and magazines following the government’s decision, Jordanian Publishers Union (JPU) Chairman Fathi Al Biss told The Jordan Times on Wednesday. “The situation of publishers has been deteriorating over the past few years amidst a weak demand for purchasing books,” he said.
The number of publishers in Jordan dropped from 750 in 2011 to 71 currently, he added.
“The tax that was recently imposed by the government will worsen the situation. I believe many more publishers will be forced to shut down and lay off employees if the government does not go back on its decision,” the chairman warned, adding “the sales tax will lead to a disastrous situation. some publishers have also put some projects on hold, awaiting a decision by the government to remove the tax.”
Industry leaders said the sales tax will lead to more book piracy and further lower the number of readers in the country, which is already “modest”. “Instead of supporting the writers and publishers to encourage Jordanians to read more, the government imposes taxes. This is unacceptable,” Mahmoud Al Dmour, head of the Jordanian Writers Association (JWA) told The Jordan Times.
